Tag: tips

December has been great so far and I’m discovering so many new things! This post has a strong focus on a few items and products I’ve bee loving! What are some things you’ve been gravitating towards this season? Leave a comment down below letting me know what I need to try!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”

Pur Cosmetics Etienne Palette

This palette has everything you need to sparkle this holiday season. From mattes to shimmers and everyday essentials, these shades are great for anyone! My two go-to’s have been “Zenon” (a brassy gold) and “Bossy” (a bright silver) I can’t get over how pigmented these colors are and how smooth they apply to the skin. Definitely something I’ll be using for the rest of winter!

Pur Cosmetics Lip Gloss Stick

Moving on to more Pur, their lip gloss sticks are to die for. One I always keep in my bag is in the shade Honey Pie. It’s a dusty blush shade with the slightest bit of shine. It’s not as harsh as a liquid lipstick and has a more natural tone to it. Forever a fan!

Yellow Anything

Recently, I picked up this yellow top from Target in their clearance section. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with the color. I don’t normally go for pops of anything really but something about it makes me feel good!

Toasted White Chocolate Mocha

I’m most of the time traditional when it comes to my holiday drinks from Starbucks. The skinny peppermint mocha is my jam. However, my new favorite is slowly becoming this toasty drink. It hits the nail on the head with being festive because it’s topped with cranberries. In addition to that, the beverage is not overly sweet. Perfect for these cold snowy mornings!

Greek Yogurt With Honey

I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and it can sometimes be hard for me to contain it. So, in order to cheat myself out of havingreal dessert, I’ve been reaching for non-fat, plain, Greek yogurt instead with a drizzle of wildflower honey. It’s amazing and probably healthier than something I’d normally grab! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

“December: The month of joy, happiness, and to finish what you started”

Being a military wife has taught me a lot of things. It’s taught me how to be patient, be polite, be strong, and most of all has taught me how to love someone no matter the circumstances. My husband has been gone for a little over 7 months and it’s been one of the hardest things we’ve ever gone through both individually and as a couple. But in the midst of all the unpredictable craziness, we still find the time to show we care about one another.

This post is going to be a mixture of a lot of things but mainly how we’ve conquered a long distance relationship and how you can too! Keep reading if you’re interested…

My husband was deployed officially on April 18th, 2017 but has really been on and off away since January of 2017. Deployment was unexpected for him and truly came as a surprise. My husband is Army Reserves meaning he lives a pretty normal and routine life outside of the military – doesn’t work on a base, we aren’t “stationed” anywhere, and does one weekend a month in uniform. If he’s called for a deployment, he goes but it was never a concern of ours up until this year.

During his time away from home, we’ve been fortunate enough to get a few chances to see each other. His unit has been very flexible with leave time and making sure families get to see their service members. It’s been a huge help considering when he left, I thought I wouldn’t see him for that whole duration of time. I’d say we definitely got lucky with that.

Here are a few of the tips and tricks I’ve learned throughout this experience that may be helpful to some of you!

–Communication is key. If you won’t be able to talk or text during a certain day, time, whatever…let your partner know. Before my husband goes into “work” he try’s to let me know ahead of time so I’m not bothering him during those hours. It’s convenient for both of us.

–Plan vacations and time together. This will be different for each person because all situations are unique. However, if you can plan events or vacations to go on, do it. The time away can he so much easier to endure if you have a date to look forward to. I’ve found comfort in hard days knowing there are only a few weeks left until we meet again.

–Lean on family and friends, keep yourself busy when you’re not around your partner! This is so crucial! Staying at home everyday, will not help time move faster so get outside and make the best of the situation you’re in.

–Send care packages and special items! Celebrate Holidays with each other through a gift exchange via snail mail. Everyone loves to get a surprise from their special someone! Christmas is coming and I know I’ll for sure be sending my hubby a few things he’s been wanting. FYI – there are a ton of easy ideas on Pinterest for decorating the inside of a care package!

These were just a few of the many things that have helped me through this journey. Share some of your experiences and tips in the comments! I’d love to hear some of the ways you all cope with someone you love being gone!

Lately, it seems like some things are just sweeter than usual. And I can’t necessarily pin it on the colder weather or the fact that we’re only days away from Halloween. Soon, it’ll be November! Just such a crazy thought to think about. Seems like yesterday it was still in the 80’s and now Chicagoland is barely holding onto 60 degrees. Today, it even snowed a bit. Granted for a short period of time, but still!

Because Fall is barely hanging on a thread (at least for me) I gathered up my last bits of Fall before the time was up. Here are just a few of my favs. What’s been your perfect thing, food, or place recently? Leave a comment at the end of this post and let me know!

@realgoodjuiceco company has come to a Whole Foods near me and I can say with confidence…thank the lord! After having their “Fruity Pebbowl” in the Gold Coast of Chicago, it’s all I’ve been craving. A couple of days back I grabbed this new creation made with acai, almond milk, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, cacao nibs, granola, coconut flakes, and bee pollen (which if you’ve never tried, is fluffy and melts in your mouth). It’s called the “Michael Bowlton”. Did I mention the menu is completely sarcastic and punny?! If you’re like me, you’ll giggle no matter what you order.

@realgoodjuiceco has multiple locations throughout the city so be sure if you live near the Chi to check them out! They’ve got lots of options for everyone’s taste.

Dunkin Donuts came out with a new line of Halloween themed pastries that have stolen my heart. I can’t stray away from my beloved strawberry sprinkle so DD found a way to bring the spooky to a donut called the “scary sprinkle”. Cute huh?!

I snapped this pic while stuck in traffic. The color changing leaves matched my aesthetic perfectly. How could I not capture something?

I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with the new Starbucks Zombie Frappuccino. It seriously does taste like a caramel apple in a cup. I don’t typically go for whipped cream on my drinks so I didn’t taste test that but the rest of what I sipped was delicious!

Oh and FYI, I wouldn’t recommend ordering this in anything but a tall. It’s very sweet and a tad on the sugary side! Might just be my personal preference though!

Last but not least on this list is my Google Home Mini. I hate to say it but I’ve fallen more in love with this little guy over my Amazon Echo Dot. It’s got a much louder speaker, performs so many different functions, and best of all seamlessly hooks up to my Philips Hue system. Everything is connected and everything is easy! I’m still not sure how I lived without this for SO long!

Oh, and before I wrap up this post, how many of you are binging Stranger Things 2 right now?! I just finished today! If you’ve kept up with the show, what have been your opinions? Good, bad, in between? I thought this season had a LOT more action than the last. Definitely impressed and can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment!